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BARCELONA, SpainUnified communications (UC) specialist Polycom (NASDAQ: PLCM) unveiled at Mobile World Congress here the company’s RealPresence Mobile for the iPhone 4S, which will be available in early March and soon on Google Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) smartphones.
RealPresence Mobile, powered by the RealPresence Platform, is a secure, enterprise-grade video software solution for mobile devices that extends the reach of video collaboration beyond the conference room, allowing mobile device users to connect with other standards-based video systems including immersive video rooms, group/desktop systems, laptops, tablets and smartphones in HD quality.
Featuring an intuitive user interface for individual or multiparty video conferences in HD quality, RealPresence Mobile on the iPhone 4S allows users to view contentsuch as presentationsby swapping the view between the content and conference participants. The solution delivers Polycom video and audio for a higher quality, enterprise-grade experience, and allows users to block their video image during a meeting if desired.
In October 2011, Polycom first announced its mobile software application for tabletswhich now include the Apple iPad 2, Motorola Xoom, Droid XYBoard by Motorola and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1to extend secure, high-quality HD video collaboration to mobile users. The RealPresence Mobile software application for tablets and smartphones is available via a free download from the Apple App Store and Android Market.
The RealPresence platform powers Polycom’s HD telepresence and video solutions across any environment. With its open-standards approach, the RealPresence Platform integrates with hundreds of apps from vendors in business and communications, including apps for IM/presence, call control, Web conferencing, and mobile and social business. Similar to connecting a smartphone to the corporate email server, RealPresence Mobile can be registered to the RealPresence Platform, allowing customers to access features including provisioning, management, firewall traversal, content sharing, and connectivity to desktop and immersive video room systems, including multiparty calls.
“Polycom’s vision is to make video collaboration ubiquitous by delivering easy-to-use, standards-based software to anyone on any device. With more than 1 billion teleworkers, Polycom RealPresence Mobilefor both tablets and now smartphonesputs video collaboration in the hands of potentially millions more, allowing anyone to visually collaborate with colleagues, customers and partners, regardless of their physical location,” said Andy Miller, CEO of Polycom. “Customers want to collaborate from anywhere, and RealPresence video solutions make that possible by seamlessly connecting people face-to-face who are on the road, at home or in the office, in conference rooms or in immersive theaters.”
According to IT research firm Gartner, total smartphone shipments reached 472 million in 2011, a 53 percent increase from 2010, and now represents nearly one-third of all handset sales. At the same time, Gartner remains bullish on the opportunity for the media tablet market, forecasting over 320 million units sold in 2015, with cumulatively over 900 million sold by the end of that year. In addition, 92 percent of Fortune 500 companies are testing or deploying iPads today, and many corporations are rolling out bring your own device (BYOD) initiatives.
In related news, Polycom also announced software upgrades to RealPresence Mobile for the iPad 2, including the capability to share PDF files from the tablet with other video meeting participants. Polycom plans to make this feature, as well as additional language options, available to the iPhone 4S and Android mobile devices in the future.
The Polycom RealPresence Mobile solution will be available in early March as a free download for the iPhone 4S from the Apple App Store. The app is available this week for tablets including the iPad 2 (from the Apple App Store) and the Xoom, Droid XYBoard and Galaxy Tab 10.1 (from the Android Market). Initially, RealPresence Mobile for the iPhone 4S will require Polycom RealPresence Platform CMA licenses. The company noted that in approximately 30 days, the solution will also be available with basic point-to-point video connectivity without requiring CMA licenses. Polycom is currently beta-testing RealPresence Mobile on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) phones.